Conax designed a flexible Type K PTFE-jacketed cable with stranded conductors for side cart installation.

Industry: Building Block Manufacture

Customer Requirement:
The customer needed to monitor product temperature during the curing stage of a building block manufacturing process. The blocks are made from waste ash obtained from coal-fired power stations. The waste ash is compressed into blocks roughly 18″x6″x9″, then autoclaved. The finished blocks are used to build the non-load-bearing inner wall of houses and commercial buildings. The outer walls are then constructed from standard brick.

During the curing process, the raw blocks are loaded onto carts placed on running rollers inside large autoclaves, 13ft. in diameter and 160ft. long. These operate at 250°F (121°C) and 200 psi. The sensors needed to be installed through the sides of the cart to measure temperature during the process. The assemblies required long lead lengths (up to 200 ft.).

Conax Design Solution:
Because of the temperature and steamy conditions encountered in an autoclave, a normal Epoxy filled T3 termination would not be adequate. Conax designed a flexible Type K PTFE-jacketed cable with stranded conductors. The assembly was fitted with an MHC gland with an integral tubewell to house the isolated junction. A MHM gland was used at a port in the side of the autoclave to seal the cables as they exit the chamber. The MHM gland seals up to eight sensor pairs.